Four-way partnership aims at building cyber security workforce

South Dakota governor Dennis Daugaard announces a new SDPASS initiative that will offer students different options to find a career in cyber security, or network security and administration.(Photo: Megan Raposa / Argus Leader)Buy Photo

South Dakota needs more cyber security experts, and four groups are working together to make that career path more widely available.

Dakota State University, Southeast Technical Institute, the Sioux Falls School District and the Department of Labor and Regulation are teaming up for an initiative they're calling "South Dakota Partnership for Student Success" or SDPASS.

"We need to have more opportunities, more pathways," said Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who helped announce the new partnership at a press conference Monday afternoon at Southeast Tech.

It's in the early stages now, but the hope is SDPASS will offer students different options to find a career in cyber security, or network security and administration.

DSU President José-Marie Griffiths said the "pass" acronym is meant to play on the "pass" as the opposite of "fail," but she also called upon the flexibility of bus passes, where there are a number of different entry points.

"That's the kind of notion we're building here," Griffiths said Monday. "You can come on and start an apprenticeship, (a certificate earned through) your apprenticeship will count toward an associate degree."

Apprenticeship opportunities through SDPASS are expected to be available in the fall of 2018.

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Denny Sanford and Miles and Lisa Beacom donate $30 million to Dakota State University for a new cyber security building.

The focus on cyber security is in direct response to business needs in Sioux Falls, Griffiths said.

"I don't know any organization that doesn't have some need in the area of cyber security, not just industry but government, nonprofits," she said.

DSU and Southeast Tech already have several options for people looking to earn a tech-related degree, including bachelor's degrees, associate programs and academic certificates in various areas.

SDPASS aims to expand those options beyond the traditional college path to high school students, people looking to change careers and high school graduates who do not enroll directly in college. This will be possible through increased internship and registered apprenticeship programs, Griffiths said.

DSU has been working with Sioux Falls K-12 public schools for a while now, said Sioux Falls Superintendent Brian Maher, but SDPASS is adding more urgency to those conversations about preparing students for the workforce of the future.

It's not fully clear what role Sioux Falls schools will play in the partnership, Maher said, but he imagines it will hinge on professional development and curriculum.

"We need to move from rhetoric to reality," Maher said.

Business partners have already begun to sign on in addition to the four public entities. Sanford, Avera, Citibank, First Premier Bank and others have voiced support for the effort, Griffiths said.

At the end of the day, it's about increasing opportunities, she added.

"It's really a partnership to allow for multiple pathways into the workforce by providing a range of different educational opportunities that people can pick up over time," Griffiths said.